Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Gavin Sterling, the man I was currently in a cold war with, just posted on Instagram.

"Giving away a breakup cash gift to the first hundred people who like this."

In an instant, ninety-nine people had already liked and shared it.

I knew exactly what he was doing.

He was waiting for me to cave, just like the ten times before, begging him to delete the post.

But this time, I didn't cry.

I simply hit share and added a comment.

"Count me in."

Then, I blocked every single one of his contact methods.

Three days later, his younger sister sent me a text from a burner number.

"Gavin left a front-row ticket for you for his graduation concert. He said as long as you show up, he'll forgive you."

I glanced at the plane ticket sitting on my desk and typed a short reply.

"I'm busy."

I wasn't lying; I really was busy.

I had been accepted into the graduate program at Harvard, and my flight to Boston was leaving tonight.

From now on, we would be thousands of miles apart.

We would never see each other again.

I had discovered Gavin's betrayal a week ago.

He had checked into a hotel room with his little childhood sweetheart, Carly Vance, just to make her feel better after her own breakup.

When I confronted him, I didn't hesitate to slap his face.

In that hotel suite, Gavin's shirt was half-unbuttoned, and there were unmistakable marks on his neck.

I stood before him, trembling, asking him how he could do this to me.

He just clicked his tongue and ran a hand through his hair, looking at me as if I were being ridiculous.

"We're just dating, Ivy. We aren't married. Since when do you get to control who I sleep with?"

After saying that, he turned to look at Carly.

Carly spoke up in a small, shaky voice, her eyes welling with tears.

"Ivy, I'm so sorry. This is all my fault. Please don't be mad at him..."

"Enough."

Gavin interrupted her and turned back to me, his gaze turning icy.

"I did this because I wanted to. It's just one night. Do you really have to make such a scene? Are you going to threaten to break up again?"

Again.

This was the eleventh time we had reached this point because of Carly.

We had been together for four years, since our freshman year of college.

We had fought many times, and every single time, I was the one who bowed my head first.

He seemed to have decided that I would never actually leave.

But this time, I didn't want to bow.

I didn't even have the energy to argue.

I simply nodded, turned around, and walked toward the elevator.

Carly suddenly ran out and grabbed my hand.

Her fingers were ice-cold, and her voice was as soft as cotton.

"Ivy, don't be angry. Gavin really loves you. He was even calling your name while we were in bed..."

I violently threw her hand off me.

I felt a wave of pure, unadulterated nausea.

Gavin stepped forward and pulled her behind him, glaring at me.

"If you can't accept it, then get lost. Stop throwing a tantrum here."

I looked at the way he protected her and suddenly started laughing.

"Fine," I said.

Then, I closed the hotel room door for them, leaving them to their private world.

The elevator descended, and I didn't shed a single tear.

When I reached the lobby, the young girl at the front desk gave me a look of pity before returning to her keyboard.

The wind outside was howling.

I walked two blocks before I managed to hail a cab.

The driver asked where I wanted to go.

"Just drive," I whispered.

My phone wouldn't stop vibrating with messages from Gavin.

"Have you had enough yet?"

"Come back."

"Ivy, don't push your luck."

His last message was the most arrogant.

"Do you really want to break up? Think carefully."

I didn't reply.

The scenery blurred past the window, much like the messy memories of our years together.

I had crushed on him for three years in high school before I found the courage to confess.

The first time he held my hand after we started dating, I thought my heart would burst.

He once gave me a limited-edition teddy bear.

He stayed with me in the ER until dawn once.

He even spent a fortune on a private firework display for my birthday.

But he was also the same man who abandoned me over and over again for Carly.

Suddenly, a group chat of twelve people popped up on my phone.

Someone tagged Gavin.

"I heard Ivy caught you and Carly at a hotel. Is she crying and screaming again?"

I had been in this group for three years, but I never spoke.

They had clearly forgotten I was even there.

Gavin replied almost instantly.

"Don't even get me started. She's being a total pain. She's playing the silent treatment and acting like we're broken up."

"Wow, she's actually got some backbone now? If I were you, I'd take this chance to go wild for a few days. Wasn't she getting a bit clingy anyway?"

"Pfft, I bet she'll be crawling back to you by tomorrow."

Gavin's reply was short.

"You guys are right."

Right after that, he posted that Instagram story.

"Giving away a breakup cash gift to the first hundred people who like this!"

People were confused, but the likes and shares flooded in regardless.

I hit share and added my own comment.

"Count me in."